‘Stick to the plan’: CIOs urge calm amid market whiplash
Diversification remains the cornerstone of asset allocation, investment strategists agreed at Investment Officer’s Portfolio Day, as volatility upends assumptions about safe assets.
Former Belgian PM Leterme questions NATO’s 5% defense push
Just two weeks ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, former Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has sharply criticized the alliance’s proposed five-percent-of-GDP defense target, calling it a “collective irrationality” that risks overwhelming European decision-making.
ESG funds hesitant about investing in defense
Are defense investments compatible with the principles of sustainable investing? At a conference in Brussels, the answers ranged from “maybe” to a firm “no”.
AI shake-up rattles opaque ESG data market
A powerful combination of artificial intelligence, looming regulation and shifting market dynamics is shaking up the opaque world of ESG data providers.
Candriam waves Metaverse goodbye and restructures fund
Candriam is transforming its Global Metaverse Fund—originally focused on companies developing the metaverse—into a tech fund centered around AI, cybersecurity, and other trends. It marks a clear sign that the tech hype of 2022 has fully fizzled out.
AI shakes up the landscape of ESG data providers
The combination of artificial intelligence, impending regulation, and shifting market dynamics is shaking up the traditionally opaque sector of ESG data providers.
DPAS name disappears as Indosuez rebrands fund services unit
Degroof Petercam Asset Services (DPAS), a key service provider to Luxembourg’s fund industry, will change its name on 1 June. The rebranding follows the acquisition of Belgian financial group Degroof Petercam by the French firm Indosuez, part of Crédit Agricole.
Fund selection: what if private banks and fund houses are family?
Can private clients still trust that their bank’s advice is objective when that bank also owns a stake in the fund house behind the recommended products? The question is becoming more pressing across Europe, including Luxembourg, where private banks and fund distributors sit at the crossroads of European asset flows.
Belfius closes JP Morgan sub-fund due to performance and lack of interest
The investment fund Belfius Wealth is dissolving its sub-fund JP Morgan AM Convictions, citing “structurally low performance” and “lack of investor interest” as key reasons. Belfius is offering affected investors the option to transfer to a Blackrock sub-fund.
Belgium plans dual defense funds, invites financial sector to join in
Belgium is entering the European defense investment arena with two new public-private initiatives, one at the federal level and another from the Flemish government.